WORLD WIDE ROBIN HOOD SOCIETY CELEBRATES 20 YEARS AS ONE OF THE LEADING INFORMATION SOURCES ON ALL ASPECTS OF THE LEGENDARY SHERWOOD OUTLAW.On March 17th2018, the Nottingham-based World Wide Robin Hood Society will mark its 20th Anniversary Year with a programme of varied initiatives including:*The publication of a new book about Robin Hood and the legend’s global impact.*A local cookery contest to find the best recipe for a Robin Hood Pie.*Anniversary theme to the Society’s annual “Feather in Your Cap” business awards. *A children’s story writing competition.*Developing an illustrated Robin Hood talk available to groups and societies.Although the Society was originally a membership-based organisation, over the last 2 decades it has evolved into one of the leading internet-based information resources on all things associated with Robin Hood. It is used extensively by the media and the tourism industry and the Society has contributed to numerous global television documentaries and historical features including BBC’s The One Show; Sky Travel Channel’s “Expedition Unknown” series and French TV’s “Secrets Histoire” series. The Society has also participated in hundreds of radio programmes around the globe, including South America, the USA, Europe, Korea and Australia. Society Chairman, Bob White, said “The very first Robin Hood Society was established in London in the 1700’S and was a club or assembly for public debate. It held its popular, regular meetings in the Robin Hood public house in Butcher Row, near Temple Bar, which is how the Society acquired its name. In the 1970’s, a Nottingham-based Robin Hood Society was created by the local historian and Robin Hood expert, Jim Lees, and its members often dressed up in costume as various characters from the Sherwood tales and helped raise funds for local charities. In the Nineties, Nottingham City Council joined forces with the Nottingham Evening Post and set up a Robin Hood Club especially aimed at youngsters, which featured a series of cartoon woodland animals known as “The Tails of Sherwood”.The present day, internet-based World Wide Robin Hood Society was originally the inspiration of co-founder and sponsor, Mike Douglas from Hull, who established a successful communications business in Nottingham in the late 1990’s. He said “Over the past twenty years the Society has seen many changes but the phenomenal global interest in Robin Hood has never faltered and the legendary outlaw continues to be an iconic figure with a massive international fan base, and he regularly features in new films, books and the global media.”For further information contact Bob White on e-mail at bob@robinhood.info or by phone on (0115) 9523183 or mobile 07504 852731 or visit the Society website at www.robinhood.infoRead more...

PARLIAMENT BANS THE RIOTOUS RIBALDRY OF THE TRADITIONAL ROBIN HOOD’S DAY CUSTOMS

In their quest to find the true origins of the Robin Hood legend, historians often link it to the early pagan festivals of “Robin Hood’s Day” (May 1st) and “Midsummer’s Day” (June 30th).

Celebrated to signify the arrival of Spring, a feature of the traditional event was the customary performance of a play in which a youth acting as Robin Hood would take the Queen of the May or “Maid Marion” into the woods where the Abbot of Unreason (otherwise known as Friar Tuck) would “bless” their coupling! The lewd and immoral content of these performances was greatly enjoyed by the common people and became the excuse for loutish behaviour and riotous feasting and drinking.

Inevitably, the authorities in England and Scotland grew increasingly concerned over the ribald tone of the celebrations and the fact that the parody of matrimony, combined with all the drink-fuelled merrymaking, gave Robin Hood’s Day a notorious reputation for producing an increased number of illegitimate children born around the end of each January! Often referred to as “the sons of Robin”, some historians claim this was how the surname Robinson may have been derived?

Even though the Scottish Parliament decreed in 1555 that “ no one should act as Robin Hood, Little John, the Abbot of Unreason or Queen of the May”, it wasn’t until the Puritanical influences of the 17th century that the English Parliament banned Robin Hood’s Day outright. The festival was re-introduced during the Restoration period but the celebration became known as May Day and the Church and Civic authorities could finally acknowledge that they had successfully erased Robin Hood’s Day from public memory!